Re: [PATCH] install.sh: Preserve directory symlinks

["Thierry Escande" <thierry.escande@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On 3/19/26 10:31, Jan Beulich wrote:
> On 13.03.2026 18:25, Thierry Escande wrote:
>> In various distros (i.e. Debian) some folders like /lib or /var/run are
>> symlinks. Using the tar option --keep-directory-symlink preserves these
>> symlinks.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Thierry Escande <thierry.escande@xxxxxxxxxx>
>> ---
>>  install.sh | 2 +-
>>  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
>> index 3e11c4d46f..5d0b7a4933 100644
>> --- a/install.sh
>> +++ b/install.sh
>> @@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ tmp="`mktemp -d`"
>>  echo "Installing Xen from '$src' to '$dst'..."
>>  (cd $src; tar -cf - * ) | tar -C "$tmp" -xf -
>>  
>> -(cd $tmp; tar -cf - *) | tar --no-same-owner -C "$dst" -xf -
>> +(cd $tmp; tar -cf - *) | tar --no-same-owner -C "$dst" 
>> --keep-directory-symlink -xf -
> 
> How compatible (between flavors of tar as well as between versions of GNU
> tar) is use of this option?

It's supported by GNU tar since version 1.27 (from ~12 years ago) but it
seems to be the only implementation that supports it. BSD and busybox
don't support it. I didn't check for other implementations.

I can add a flavor/version check if that makes sense.

Regards,


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